Resumen
This article highlights issues critical to abandoned information systems (IS) development projects. Cancellation of projects can be attributed to a combination of several factors, such as, project goals, project management and control, project team composition, technical know-how, technology base or infrastructure, senior management involvement and escalating project cost and time of completion. The information for this article had been taken from studies of abandoned projects, such as, the electronic distribution company and the AMRIS Confirm projects, to illustrate some of the pitfalls and management issues that often plague projects that end up being cancelled. The incidents described here are replicated in many other companies that have experienced IS development project cancellations. IS projects are unique in that they require the intense collaboration of three groups of stakeholders, namely, IS staff, end users and management. Hence, IS projects are group-oriented activities, organized and executed in teams, and therefore subject to all vagaries of group dynamics, interactions, coordination and communication.